On Sept 1, 2024, drivers headed over the Delaware River will need to do something that they haven't had to do in more than a decade -- pay more in tolls to cross state lines.
That's because, starting Sunday, for the first time in 13 years, tolls on the four bridges over the Delaware River, that are under the stewardship of the Delaware River Port Authority, will increase.
In July, the DRPA's board voted unanimously to approve a new schedule that will see tolls on four bridges -- the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross Bridges -- increased by one dollar beginning on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024.
Along with raising tolls from $5 to $6 for passenger vehicles, tolls -- per axle -- for trucks, mobile homes and recreational vehicles will jump to $9 and the new toll will be $4.50 per axle for busses.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
In a statement on the decision, the DRPA's board of commissioners said the move was needed "due to the challenges of enhancing safety and security and maintaining aging infrastructure."
As detailed by the DRPA, the board approved a toll schedule in 2008 that linked potential toll increases to the Consumer Price Index for the Philadelphia region.
But, officials with the agency said in a statement, planned increases through that plan were deferred nine times.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Most recently, a evaluation of the plan toll schedule indicated a need for a 30% increase but, instead the board approved a 20% increase to reduce the amount suggested though an evaluation of the Consumer Price Index.
According to DRPA officials, this adjustment "aims to balance financial needs for long-term capital projects and operational stability while complying with bond covenants."
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
